How to keep your kids safe playing sports this summer

Burns catcher Garrett Wright dives to tag out Central's Bo Perry during the District 9 Little League game at Montgomery Central in June 2012. Central beat Burns 17-7.(Photo: THE LEAF-CHRONICLE/ROBERT SMITH)Buy Photo

Sports injuries are on the rise, and not just in professional sports. The number of children 12 and younger sustaining injuries is growing.

From so-called minor injuries to concussions, Dr. Di’Net Sintim-Amoah, a pediatrician with Premier Medical Group in Clarksville, has seen them all.

Sintim-Amoah, a sports enthusiast herself, loves basketball and playing tennis. But whether from tennis or 5-year-old league soccer, injuries are going to happen.

“When parents ask me about their child playing sports, I tell them that playing sports is a good activity for children. There are many benefits to playing organized sports, including learning social and physical skills, the value of teamwork, and sportsmanship,” Sintim-Amoah said.

“The downside to children playing sports is that injuries are going to occur. This is why I stress conditioning and preparedness. These two things will help reduce the possibility of injuries."

As part of that conditioning and preparedness, she encourages taking part in summer programs.

"There are some very good exercise and athletic programs and classes in Clarksville during the summer," Sintim-Amoah said.

Professional football gets a lot of attention for serious injuries, such as concussion and traumatic brain injury. But TBIs occur in youth football as well, and in other sports.

At any playing level, a helmet can provide only so much protection. Other sports played by young children where injuries can have long-lasting effects include basketball, soccer, hockey and boxing.

Take time to heal

A recent national study shows that the younger the athlete is when a TBI is sustained, the longer-lasting the impact will be. For that reason, many doctors suggest that children under 12 should not play tackle football. The chances of sustaining a TBI are simply too great.

If a child gets a concussion, all sports should be come to an immediate halt while the brain takes time to heal.

“My experience with parents is that they are very open to taking care of their child when a concussion occurs,” Sintim-Amoah said. “Parents learn that serious injuries take longer to heal, and if not treated properly can leave lasting physical and psychological problems."

But the same patience and caution isn't there with children.

“Children want to get back to playing as soon as they can. That’s not how it works though," she said. "The greater the injury, the longer the recovery. For young children, this can be difficult to understand.”

An important part of healing and recovery is keeping all communication lines open. These are the lines between parent and child, doctor and child, and doctor and parent.

“Young children might not want to tell their parents certain things because they don’t want to disappoint them. Maybe they don’t want to play the sport anymore because of the injury they sustained," Sintim-Amoah said.

“There are children who play sports because their parents pressure them to play. This seldom works out well for child or parent. Although this is not an injury, it can lead to injuries."

Dangers of playing too much

Playing sports year-round isn't good for children, she said, physically or psychologically.

“The body needs to take breaks throughout the year and rest. Injuries can further heal, and a break from the game gives a child the opportunity to be a child and not worry about the next game or match," Sintim-Amoah said.

“The flip side of this is the child who plays only one sport, and then when the season ends, the child just keeps practicing the sport. It’s called specialization, and it’s a big reason for burnout. It is estimated that 70 percent of children drop out of organized sports because of specialization.”

Too many injuries result from kids working too hard to get better and to win games. The goal of kids playing sports should be education and fun. It shouldn't be about winning and losing, she said.